City of Pitt Meadows certifies as a Living Wage Employer

The City of Pitt Meadows has become the sixth local government in BC to certify as a Living Wage employer, certified by the Living Wage for Families Campaign. As a certified living wage employer, the City is committed to paying employees and employees of externally contracted service providers a living wage, as determined by the LWFC.

“It was important to Council that Pitt Meadows show leadership in supporting lower-income workers and households,” said Mayor John Becker.

"In implementing a living wage for all City staff and contractors, the City of Pitt Meadows is demonstrating leadership on the issue of low-wage poverty," says Deanna Ogle, Campaign Organizer with the Living Wage for Families Campaign. "Pitt Meadows prides itself on being a family friendly community and this step ensures that City staff and contractors can support their families and breathe a little easier at the end of the month.”

Metro Vancouver's living wage rate for 2017 is $20.62 including direct wages and the value of non-mandatory benefits. The living wage is defined as the hourly rate required for two working adults to meet the basic needs of a family of four such as rent, food, transportation and childcare. It is calculated annually by LWFC and is based on the regional cost of living. It does not include pension savings, debt service, or many other routine expenses.

City employees are already compensated at the current living wage rate, as are many contracted staff. A staff report provided to Council in 2016 indicated that only two City auxiliary positions fell below the recommended Living Wage hourly rate, and that based on the projected costs to adhere to the Living Wage guidelines, the cost to the City would be an additional $11,099 for 2017.

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The living wage will definitely get more visibility across Canada. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but artificial intelligence and more automation is just around the corner. For instance, in my field http://gordcollins.com/artificial-intelligence/adopt-artificial-intelligence-marketing-software/ is about to put a lot of marketing people out of jobs from Vancouver to Toronto. It doesn’t mean we’ll lose our jobs, but there will be longer periods of unemployment and displacement. The government has no plan for all of this. Combine that with the high cost of living, and it means a lot of pain for people in the years ahead. A living wage is a necessity.